24 February 2026

Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics: Team Norway

As we approach the start of wheelchair curling at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, we will take a look at all the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) competing. Next up is Team Norway.

Team Norway will be represented by one wheelchair curling team: Team Stordahl (mixed team).

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When Jostein Stordahl gets onto the ice in Cortina, he will join an exclusive group of athletes.

The fourth of the Norwegian curling team is set for his ninth Paralympic Games appearance — 37 years after making his debut.

Like many experienced wheelchair curlers, Stordahl’s sporting career goes far back before joining our sport. Few, however, would know that it began in 1988, when a 22-year-old Stordahl travelled to Seoul to compete in the Paralympics for the first time as a powerlifter.

He later moved to sailing, competing in four Games between 1996 and 2008, before switching to curling in 2010. Milano Cortina 2026 is set to be his fifth Paralympic appearance as a curler. Nearly two decades since his World Championship debut, he is now one of the sports’ most experienced and successful athletes.

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Meet the team

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Early setbacks to silver

His first world championship in 2007 brought Norway’s first ever gold, and a year later, he was part of the rink who defended this title. Stordahl would not return to the top of the podium again until 2017, on the ice in PyeongChang.

That momentum carried them into the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, where Norway claimed silver in a tournament that almost ended early for them.

Their opening game saw them lose to Great Britain, before suffering a heavy 10-1 defeat to Canada. They would lose by the same scoreline to Wang Haitao’s China in the following game. Something had to change.

“We started awfully at the Paralympics,” Stordahl recalled.

“We lost the first three games, and we had a lot of questions against us. So, we had to change the line-up.”

This meant Stordahl would temporarily move into the skip position, swapping with long-time leader Rune Lorentsen, who moved to third. He said the decision was “well-accepted”, because the players had always put the team first.

The results were positive. In the four games he skipped, Norway won three and only lost to Sweden by a single point. They would win five in a row and secure their spot in the semi-finals finishing fourth.

They again defeated Korea — who finished top in the round-robin — after an extra end.

“We struggled a little bit against Korea,” he added.

“There was a lot of audience and a lot of yelling. That was very fun, but we were able to win the game.”

It was followed by a great sense of relief, knowing they would become medallists at the Paralympics for the first time.

They faced a rematch with China for the gold medal and this time, there was little to separate them, and the game was 6-6 after eight ends. This time, the extra end went China’s way and they became Paralympic champions.

Three years later, they were playing on their opponents’ home turf, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 World Wheelchair Curling Championship saw Norway just miss the play-offs in seventh place. Then at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, they finished seventh again.

“It was very difficult to play in China before the Paralympics, six months before, and that was not a good experience to be there,” added the skip.

“But it was also a struggle to fill out all the forms before we get into China.

“It was strange times, I will say. It very much could have been doing something with our minds.

“The weather was very good and the arena was very good, but I don’t know, we didn’t have focus and it was a bad experience, really.”

Renewed and focussed

But the bad experiences paved the way for renewed success. The training ramped up, the team participated in more tournaments, and they became more tactically astute. Gangneung again provided joy as they won their second world title in 2024, Stordahl’s fourth overall.

And despite being a wealthy nation, wheelchair curling does not receive luxurious support back home. Part of his task — along with the familiar Geir Arne Skogstad, Ole Fredrik Syversen, youngster Mia Larsen Sveberg and alternate Ingrid Djupskaas — is to keep the sport in the spotlight to secure its financial future.

“We have the first goal that we are going to the play-offs, he said.

“When we are there, we are very strong. Then I think we have a very good shot to take a gold.

“If wheelchair curling will get some support in Norway, we have to reach high.”

“I think we are very much invisible. We got some time on the television in Norway, and in media, but I can’t see that this is very much.

“Norway is a small country, and you must have one superstar, and then you can get some reaction, but, like, curling, it’s very invisible.”

Nine Paralympics and beyond

While a ninth Paralympics may feel routine after nearly four decades, Stordahl is adamant that the magic of the Games never leaves you adding, “Without the Paralympics, we wouldn’t have been so good or playing so much”.

This time around he leads a team that includes a debutant alternate and Larsen Sveberg moving up from alternate from Beijing 2022 too.

Set to turn 60 in May, questions will always be about the future. By the time 2030 comes around, he will be 63. He admits that at his age, “You must be in good shape every time”.

Yet, there is no immediate plans to stop. He remains a serious contender for the Paralympic title and with no signs of slowing down. The future is being weighed up, but not with certainty yet.

“Sports have been my life,” said Stordahl.

“So, I was thinking to retire, but we’ll see.

“Retire after this, but if the condition is good, then the body is good. So why not try to compete another year or two?”

And who knows — maybe he’ll take up a new sport again. With Stordahl, anything is possible.

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Team Norway Stats

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